Day 8 - 249 -- Corporate Encounter

Today was bright and sunny and slightly warmer than past few days. The insurance adjuster phoned to complete the information gathering -- much of which they should already have as my insurer <sigh>. Then I had to upload photos of the car from each of the four corners, the damaged area, the VIN (even though this was found on the registration form I had to upload), and the odometer reading. Now mine is an LED, so taking a picture wouldn't work no matter what angle or degree of brightness I tried. So, I uploaded a photo with a bright white light patch on the instrument panel. <sigh>. Once all items were uploaded, there was nothing to say submit or finish or in some way notify the user of the software that it was OK to close the window. So, I just closed it and then left a text message with the number used by the the adjuster to send the link. Now, tomorrow an assessor will be appointed and they will look at the photos and provide an estimate for repairs. I told them which autobody shop I wanted to use -- the same as any other time someone has driven into me in the past. It seems the insurance company will not  warranty the work (a lifetime warranty) from this shop, though it has in the past. It is an independent and I suspect the large corporate beings chose to do a deal with only specific other large corporate chains -- the nearest of which is 45 minutes down the highway. Goofy. So, we sit and wait for yet another person to contact me and tell me that I can take it into the shop. The adjuster also approved a rental while the work is being done. I'm not sure how long things will take, so until then I won't make arrangements for the rental since there is a dollar cap on it. The story will be ongoing for some time, I can tell. <sigh> 

The song chosen for today may be a bit over the top but my interactions with a large corporate entity left me a bit out of sorts. This made me smile albeit in a rather satirical or sarcastic manner. <smirk> Keep safe. Enjoy! 

Take the Money and Run -- Crosby & Nash

 

Day 8 - 248 -- Feeling Confined

The holiday Monday wake up temperature was about 9C/48F! Wild! In just over a week we've gone from feeling over 38C/100F to being 48F. Just another sign that autumn is approaching. Warmer temps generally appear for a week or two in September. This week is forecast to have some warmer feeling days in mid-to high 20sC (high 70s to low 80s F) with cooler overnights. I enjoy days like that. Today, though was heavily overcast all day with light rain beginning early evening and pouring rain by bedtime. 

I did some inside chores today -- cleaning and getting recycling ready to take to curb. For the first time it took an effort to walk up the stairs into the front door as my brain noted that the place felt like a dark prison. All the remote living and isolating of the pandemic and the lack of a social workplace now that I'm retired, has me longing to be elsewhere doing things with people. That wouldn't have sounded so huge 18 months ago, would it? The weather today may have played with my mood a bit, too. At one point, I thought it would be great to just live in a yurt in the woods. I'm not sure how that deals with the isolation and prisoner feelings since it seems that this might make my life even more isolated <smile>. Perhaps I just need a change of pace and place. I'm still thinking of research trips for spring 2022, at present. We'll see what the next few months bring. In the meantime, there are friends I can visit and stores that provide medications and groceries, so I do have places to see and interact with people. I could drive to the cape and watch the sky and water for while, too. All of these would be therapeutic. Now I just have to get my butt in gear <grin>. 

Based on the intense feeling of being jailed, I chose a song about impending freedom. There are a few covers of this song and I've chosen one for the exquisite melding of voices. Keep safe. Enjoy! 

I Shall Be Released -- Cass Elliot, Joni Mitchell, & Mary Travers 

Day 8 - 247 -- Pervasive Smokiness

There is a pervasive campfire odour in the kitchen area today. While making breakfast today,  a bottle of liquid smoke fell out of the cupboard and the plastic lid broke, spilling the pungent yellow liquid all over the counter and wall. The rag used to clean the area was rinsed multiple times and now rests downstairs in the laundry room. A great start to the day. <smile>

After several small household tasks, I settled into a a long wait on hold with irritating music with incessant repetition -- though I hesitate to call it music. There were many messages of what one could easily do on the website. My request could not be readily managed on my own, though. At least no voice lied to say how important my call was to them <grin>. I was given seven options at the beginning none of which applied to me. The system was going to kick me into a repeating loop of simply repeating the options. So I chose '0' instead. They warned me this would a lengthy wait and that I really should just use the options they'd suggested. I just hit '0' again. Then I heard that the expected wait times would be 47 minutes to 70 minutes. We got through about 80 minutes into holding and things were finished in about 6 or 7 minutes of conversation. It was a big wait, but worthwhile in the end. 

Long wait times are still being blamed on the pandemic. I do understand that this is a moving target. i thought that phone services could be provided from anywhere, though there may be a problem with getting staffing back to where it needs to be as larger companies 'open up' more. It won't be a simple process and patience will be needed on all sides of this one. I worked on supper prep and cleaning and reading and responding to email. Listening to a TV program was out of the question with the mind numbing attempts at tunefulness, though. I have another big wait later in the month when I have to speak to someone at a government agency. That one is usually an hour wait, but without the semi-useful messages I heard today -- well useful the first or second time around. <smile>. 

I find the smokey scent irritating. It will go away with time. Between now and then the counters will be cleaned many times, so that may help the scent to dissipate, too. I have cleaned with three different products so far and all visible splashes of the liquid seem to have been addressed. Another item that requires patience. <smile>  A song line ran through my head -- the title line of a song. It made me giggle, so I'll share my warped-ness with you all here. Keep safe. Enjoy! 

Smoke on the Water -- Deep Purple

Dy 8 - 246 -- Promise & Anticipation

A moderately cool day as loads of first years and their families arrived on campus to settle into residence. The fall influx of students makes the town much busier than usual -- lots more people on Main Street and tons more traffic. I spent the day at home getting some needed cleaning and laundry completed. More of same for tomorrow and maybe some time for a movie or something for the holiday Monday. We'll see what transpires. 

Seeing the photos of students, parents, sibs and friends posted on the university site reminded me of my many years heading to Saskatoon for the school year. For my first year, mom and dad both accompanied me. In subsequent years, dad and I did the trip alone some years. There got to be far less room in the car for three people as the accumulation of books and papers expanded. The quality of the light at this point in the year along with cooler overnight temperatures remind me of being on campus -- whether that was undergrad in Saskatoon, masters in Winnipeg, doctoral work back in Saskatoon or teaching time in Nova Scotia. There is something in the air that you can see, feel and almost taste as a new school term begins. 

Much excitement was clear in the photos online, which reminded me of wondering how I'd make friends or later the excitement of getting to see friends again  and hear of their escapades over the summer. This time of year can hold much promise -- perhaps a mix of hope and plans. The excitement consisted of loose plans, expectations, trepidation and hope. There were tears -- both sad and happy. I still get a subtle reminder of those feelings every September -- a wistful thing. Seeing a new crop of people arrive on campus each year, makes me smile. They have so much ahead of them that will challenge every particle of their beings,but it will be such a fantastic learning journey -- and not just academically <smile>. Discovering who they are and what is important to them will be amazing. There is so much left to be added into that self portrait that is only a charcoal sketch a present. These thoughts bring me hope for the future and remind me of the rhythms of life.

A lyric that expresses the concept of personal discovery is shared tonight. It has an electropop feel with the upbeat messaging. Keep safe. Enjoy!

Where We Come Alive -- Ruelle 

Day 8 - 245 -- Unexpected Event

On this Friday before a long weekend, I did errands early but the grocery store was still very busy. As I pulled into the town parking lot to head to the pharmacy, someone backed into me -- not going fast, so denting is not noticeable but scratches run from the driver door to the rear fender. <sigh> My insurance agent had things under control and sent info off to the insurer. I haven't heard from them by end of day. That means I will need to contact them on Tuesday. <sigh> So -- the claim has begun and repair will happen whenever it can be done as damage does not affect drive-ability. 

When the accident occurred there was a flurry of emotions tumbling over each other -- anger, sadness, irritation, disbelief, a tad of fear and something akin to nausea. I didn't cry until I was walking down the driveway to the house. A cry in the house seemed to help relax some of the tension. I still see this as a new car since it was purchased about 20 months ago. Within 3 months of purchase we were in our first lockdown. I have done two out of town trips only -- one last October to visit a colleague and one in July for the second vaccine dose. The odometer reads about 2400 km. Added stress and anxiety was not needed, but I'm working at it. Feeling out of control and 'attacked' while inside a piece of home doesn't work well. I will practice my breathing, have a cup of tea and sit with my furry friend for a bit. That should bring things down a few notches. 

This whole episode reminded me of a song a friend and I had discussed recently. That did make me laugh -- a good thins any day, but a great thing today. The video is older here, but the audio sounds great. Keep safe. Enjoy! 

I'm in Love with My Car -- Queen 

Day 8 - 244 -- Storm Remnants

My day began with a mid-morning appointment. Walking out to that meeting the rain was very light. When I moved on to the shopping errands, there was a steady light rain but deeper puddles to navigate around. I got home for a later lunch and then the rain picked up. By supper it was much heavier -- soaking rain at times versus the type I'd met earlier that left wet spots on my jeans but didn't soak the material. Into the evening there seem to be intermittent heavy rain moments with more light and very light between these. The rain originates with the remnants of Ida, strong hurricane that devastated the southern US and flooding rains that have been moving across the eastern states and provinces as things head out to sea. Newfoundland and Labrador may get a blast of rain as the system brushes by in the next couple of days. 

Storms that originate in the tropics and move through the ocean currents generally make landfall somewhere in the Caribbean or North America. My first encounter with a hurricane was a couple of months after I moved here 23 years ago. Over the years, many small branches and three trees have come down in the yard. Preparing for a storm is different than the tornadoes that occur on the prairies. Tropical storms are tracked for a week or more before they potentially create havoc. That gives us time to pack a 'go bag' and bring possible flying objects into the house or shed. Tornadoes, on the other hand, have very little warning time before they arrive. I've been on the highway driving during the outer rain bands of a hurricane and just behind a tornado. I don't recommend either.  

I've used this song before, but I do love the tempo and positive feel to it. I love what the lyrics speak to, also. It just fits my thoughts that tonight will fit the bill perfectly. Keep safe. Enjoy! 

I Love a Rainy Night -- Eddie Rabbit 

Day 8 - 243 -- Positives Crush Negatives

Overall, the day brought many positives in the tasks completed and more information gathered for the next items on the big list. As I was preparing for a virtual meeting, the doorbell rang. I was surprised to see a familiar face at the door delivering a gift card to my favourite local restaurant. The chef himself completed this errand. The gift was from a friend and research colleague -- the person I met with online moments later. That made me smile. A major favour by another person helped me to breathe again. A call to a business about online purchase site helped me to find what I'd wanted but couldn't find online. Another weight lifted.  

A flurry of small positive events can improve mood and reduce anxiety. Sometimes, even one positive works. At times, seeing the positive in an otherwise 'blah' day presents a challenge. Negative perceptions can increase anxiety and climbing out from under that becomes more difficult the longer it visits. Good things that happen gift the moments that help us see things in a happier light. Looking forward and making plans are easier to do with a positive outlook. I hope that others are able to move in this direction. 

A song came to mind because of the core activity involved in the lyrics. The two singers bring smiles. Keep safe. Enjoy! 

Dancing in the Street -- David Bowie & Mick Jagger